WHO drops censorship of words “Taiwan” and “China” on social media after backlash
 
Internet users began reporting this week that WHO’s Facebook page would not allow to leave comment including the word of “Taiwan”. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the block ran contrary to the neutrality of the WHO. 
 
A spokesman for the WHO explained that the social media team applied filters as the “onslaught” hindered its ability moderate conversations. After lifting the block, the WHO’s page was flooded with pro-Taiwan and anti-China message. 
 
The WHO’s history with Taiwan has been controversial, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. China has blocked its admission to the WHA despite an increase in international support for their inclusion. 
 
Source: The Guardian #Nov13

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/13/who-drops-censorship-of-words-taiwan-and-china-on-social-media-after-backlash

#WHO #Taiwan #China #Censorship 

Chinese Foreign Ministry says Pompeo has "Sinister Motives" and Will Fight Back Firmly after Pompeo says Taiwan Is Not Part of China,

In a radio interview yesterday (12th), the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "Taiwan has never been a part of China" and that the US commitment to Taiwan was already a cross-party consensus. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference today (13th) that Pompeo had ignored the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American peoples for his political self-interest, confusing right with wrong and fabricating lies in order to mislead public opinion and disrupt the public perceptions, further damage China-US relations and jeopardise peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He added, "The world has known his sinister intentions". Wang Wenbin told the followers of Pompeo that any act that undermines the core interests of China and interferes in Chinese internal affairs will get a resolute response from China, and will not stop its historical trend of unification.

Taiwan's presidential spokesman, Chang Tun-Han, also responded to the incident this morning (13 November), noting that he had noticed the remarks from Pompeo and that it was an indisputable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign state. On the cross-strait and region, Taiwan has always advocated that the two sides of the Strait should work together to safeguard the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, based on the principle of reciprocity and dignity. Taiwan will also continue to fulfil its international obligations and contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Taiwan Strait and the region.

Source: Stand News #Nov13

https://bit.ly/2UOFRzQ

#US #China #SinoUSrelations #Taiwan #USTaiwanrelations #RepublicOfChina #TaiwanStrait #MikePompeo #WangWenbin #ChangTunHan #TaiwanStraitCrisis

[Chang’s response: Stand News #Nov13
https://bit.ly/2J3fvHS ]

Pompeo Says Taiwan Has Never Been Part of China, Spokesperson for Taiwan’s President Calls It Undisputed Fact

Speaking about cross-strait issues in a radio interview on 12 November, American time, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said Taiwan is a "model for democracy" and that America’s commitment to Taiwan cuts across party lines, adding that “Taiwan has not been a part of China”. This is a shift from the position taken by the US since it made its three joint communiqués with China in the 1970s and 80s.

Spokesperson of Taiwan’s presidential office, Chang Tun-han, said on the morning of 13 November that he is aware of Pompeo's remarks and that it is an indisputable fact that the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state. He said it has always been Taiwan’s cross-strait and regional policy that the two sides along the Strait should work together to maintain peace and stability in the region on the basis of mutual respect, adding that Taiwan will continue to fulfil its international obligations and contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Taiwan Strait and the region.

Source: Stand News #Nov13

#US #Taiwan #RepublicofChina #ROC #MikePompeo #ChangTunHan #USTaiwanRelations #TaiwanPresidentialOffice #TaiwanStrait #Diplomacy

https://bit.ly/2Hp7o7M

Pompeo Says Taiwan Has Never Been Part of China, Spokesperson for Taiwan’s President Calls It Undisputed Fact

Source: Stand News #Nov13

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China Muslims: Volkswagen says “no forced labour” at Xinjiang plant

Volkswagen (VW) has defended its decision to continue operating a car plant in Xinjiang a Chinese region mired in allegations of large-scale human rights abuses by the state.

Even if VW could prove categorically that their own supply chain was clean, the criticism goes far deeper. Because opening a car plant in Xinjiang requires the partnership and approval of the Chinese authorities, the concern is that it risks leading tacit support to the policies of mass incarceration and ethnic repression, for which there is compelling evidence.

Source: BBC #Nov13

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-54918309

#China #ReEducationCamp #Xinjiang #Uyghur #VW

#Sanction #US
#Trump Signs Executive Order to Ban Investment in 31 #PLA related Companies

The US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order prohibiting Americans from investing in 31 Chinese companies allegedly tied with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including China Mobile, China Telecom, and the China Aviation Industry Corporation, covering industries such as telecommunication technology, aerospace, shipbuilding, and construction.

This executive order will take effect on Jan 11, 2021. All companies listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as owned or controlled by the Chinese military, are banned from US corporate, pension and personal investments.

The executive order covers stocks, funds, and derivatives. U.S. investors who hold these securities are required to sell them before November next year. In addition, investors will have 60 days to clear their holdings for any Chinese companies added to the list in the future.

#US #ChineseCompanies #DonaldTrump #InvestmentBan #ExecutiveOrder

Source: Stand New #Nov13

https://bit.ly/2V57x3v

Medicine Professor Faces Five Years in Jail for Smuggling Research from US to China

Zheng Guosong, a Chinese American professor at the Ohio State University in the US, has been prosecuted for smuggling research funded by an American subsidy to China. He plead guilty at a court on Thursday, 12 November and faces up to five years in prison. The US Department of Justice accuses him of engaging in “a sophisticated medical research grant fraud”.

Zheng, 58, and his research team received over a fund of over 4.3 million US dollars (about 33 million HK dollars) from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for rheumatism and immunology research while concealing a second fund they had received from China’s National Natural Science Foundation. Zheng admitted that he had lied when applying for the American fund, which he intended to use to support China’s research on rheumatism and immunology. He also admitted that he had made false statements to federal investigators.

Source: Apple Daily #Nov13

#US #China #NIH #OhioStateUniversity #OhioState #OSU #Research #Espionage

https://bit.ly/3qeTdUz

#Art
#Brescia Exhibits #Badiucao's Artwork that Mocks Beijing’s #Propaganda

Defying the calls of the Chinese government to cancel an exhibition in a northern Italian city, #Brescia is hosting the first international solo exhibition by the 35-year-old artist, #Badiucao, an exile from China who now lives in Australia.

Displaying a torture instrument such as a rocking chair, dissident artist Badiucao mocks the propaganda of Beijing in this exhibition named “China is (not) near”.

The show denounces political repression in China and the country’s censorship of the origin of #Covid19.

Beijing responded to the exhibition in anger, accusing Badiucao’s works of being “full of anti-Chinese lies” that “jeopardise the friendly relations between China and Italy”. The PRC's embassy in Rome sent a letter to Brescia’s town hall.

Deputy Mayor #LauraCastelletti responded, “None of us in Brescia, neither in the city council nor among the citizens, had the slightest doubt about this exhibition going ahead.”

"Brescia, known for its Roman ruins, has a long tradition of welcoming dissidents, painters and writers, in defence of artistic freedom”, she added.

In an interview, Badiucao, who is nicknamed the Chinese #Banksy said he is “very happy and proud” that the city “had the courage to say ‘no’ to China to defend fundamental rights.”

Source: Radio Free Asia; #Nov13
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/11-11132021172450.html/ampRFA

#ProtestArt #WolfWarrior #FreedomofExpression #Creativity #Italy #NoToChina #Culture #Exhibition